How to build a maternity wardrobe without breaking the bank

Two-hundred-fifty dollars for a pair of jeans! A hundred bucks for a top! When my pregnant girlfriend Marisa visited A Pea in the Pod, the trendy maternity wear store, she was horrified. She couldn’t afford to pay this much for clothing that’s wearable for only a couple months.

Hot mama: Katie Wright sports Japanese Weekend maternity jeans and a top and cropped sweater from H&M.

Marisa lives in the South Bay and she and her mom drove to the city for a fun day of shopping but she returned home depressed and empty-handed–except for two tops from H&M.

To help out Marisa and other mothers who are looking to build a maternity wardrobe without breaking the bank, I checked in with several San Francisco mom groups and asked members to offer up their best tips.

SCOUR SALES RACKS. “I always had great luck with the sale racks at the big Gap on Market Street and also the Macy’s at Serramonte [maternity section is on the second floor],” says Ann Balajadia.

HIT UP THRIFT SHOPS. “I bought about a third of my maternity clothes–tops, mostly–at thrift stores,” says Beth Winegarner. “Try Goodwill and Thrift Town in San Francisco, which actually has a small, separate maternity section.”

CRUISE CONSIGNMENT STORES. “In San Francisco, Chloe’s Closet in Bernal Heights carries used maternity clothes,” says Aimee Grove. “You can try Child’s Play in Berkeley and Fashion After Passion in Alameda. Also, I have heard Maternity Xchange is great. It’s a mobile consignment shop that travels all over the Bay Area.”

BUY ONLINE. “For nicer, work-wardrobe items, I was a huge fan of Gap Maternity,” says Annette Cardwell. “You can get great deals online. But before I bought something, I would go to the location in downtown SF, and try it on for size, and then order it online because I often got a better deal.” Adds Beth Winegarner, “I bought a few things from eBay.”

GET CREATIVE WITH REGULAR CLOTHING. “For pure affordability, cruise the “disposable” clothing stores like Forever 21, H&M, and Old Navy,” adds Annette Cardwell. “They have lots of maxi dresses, billowy peasant tunics, inexpensive leggings, and other stuff that can double as maternity wear. Adds Katie Wright, “At Old Navy, I found what was probably a short dress in a black jersey material. I wore it as a long tunic shirt that hit mid thigh.”

POST ADS ON PARENT GROUP WEB SITES. I was entirely outfitted by our neighbors through our neighborhood Yahoo Group,” says Andrea Hartsough. “I got bags of business and casual clothes, which I likewise passed on to other mothers-in-waiting. The experience was wonderful because not only did I get to bypass the painful expense of new clothes to be worn for just a few months, but I felt much cared for by my community. And there was a happy ecological aspect to it as I knew that these clothes were getting good use and we did not collectively have to consume even more stuff just to keep our bumps well dressed.”

LAYER WITH LONG TANK TOPS. “I bought long tank tops for only $8 each at H&M in a few different colors,” says Kristi Martinez. “I layered them with everything! When a regular shirt started getting a little short, there was always a nice band of color from the tank showing underneath.”

INVEST IN ONE PAIR OF JEANS THAT FIT. “It’s OK to spend money on them, but they have to fit well,” says Katie Wright. “Mine were from Japanese Weekend and I wore them almost every day through both pregnancies–so if you look at it that way, they were VERY cheap. You can waste a lot of money continually buying cheap ill-fitting pants that you’re constantly tugging on. That’s the experience I had buying cheap stuff at Target…bad fit.”

ACCESSORIZE. “If you have a basic black or white maternity top, it can be worn infinitely with fun jewelry or scarves that either distract from or emphasize the tummy and boobs, depending on how attractive you’re feeling,” suggests Katie Wright. “Cheap accessories can be found anywhere from H&M to second-hand stores.”

Do you have tips to share with pregnant moms who are shopping for maternity clothing?